Good hard shell case recommendations

[Greybeard]

Hi:

It has reached the point where I am tired of baggage handlers ripping the zipper on my fencing bag and my mask getting squished in the baggage hold.

Can anyone recommend a good reasonably priced make of hard shell golf bag with a ton of space for carrying equipment on planes?

Thanks

[Goldgar]

Can anyone recommend a good reasonably priced make of hard shell golf bag with a ton of space for carrying equipment on planes?

Define "reasonably priced". SKB is really good, not cheap to buy but it lasts forever.

[Greybeard]

Under $200

[brtech]

Definitely the SKB. We use the smaller straight cylinder model. I have found them at significant discounts and, so far, free shipping on the web. Never had a problem with them.

[Capt. Slo-mo]

I just bought the biggest molded-plastic SKB golf club carrier for $189. Be sure to get the model with the oversized "unbreakable" synthetic latches.

The small aluminum latches break off very quickly.

[teacup]

We have a golf day with a broken handle courtesy of SWA. With the warranty replacement money, which was no additional charge from Sports Authority, we bought an SKB which my kids don't use anymore, so it is in the garage with the golf day.

If you plan to travel internationally the hard cases are too awkward to deal with in small taxis and cars.

As far as soft bags are concerned it doesn't matter whether you buy cheap or expensive ones, none of them last very long.

I have seen people with soft golf bags which may hold up better than soft fencing bags.

[Goldgar]

If you plan to travel internationally the hard cases are too awkward to deal with in small taxis and cars.

This is a very good point. I haven't had occasion to take my SKB case overseas (from the US, that is), but I can well imagine that you'd have trouble fitting it into a small car. For that matter, even in the US you will often find it tricky to fit into a subcompact. If you fly somewhere and rent a car, you may find you need to put the case into the back seat, not in the trunk -- and even then, you may have to angle the case to make it fit.

On the other hand, you can't beat the SKB for durability, and they will usually fix anything that breaks, under normal usage, for free.

[Zilverzmurfen]

SKB golf club carrier

I Googled this (because I didn't know what they look like) and found this on E-Bay.

I just thought I'd post it since the seller is in California -- as Greybeard -- and the price seems reasonable (?). It might be a good buy, I don't know...

[JMcC]

This is a very good point. I haven't had occasion to take my SKB case overseas (from the US, that is), but I can well imagine that you'd have trouble fitting it into a small car.

A minor plus for the hard case we discovered in Europe on a very rainy day; when all the cases (soft and hard) wouldn't fit into the van to the airport, we could strap the hard case to the roof rack and it was impervious to the weather! The soft bag owners with us were very happy we could do that.

[Greybeard]

Thanks. I have been googling the case and it does seem to the best choice. I am finding the TSA approved model for anywhere from $140-200

[Chafunkta]

Has anyone used/seen the Doskosport Golfguard hard case? It's listed as $30 from Academy sports (the original one, not the Deluxe), which is extremely cheap. I could get 5 of these before warranting the use of the SKB.

What are the serious drawbacks to this $30 case?

[Fechter1]

Has anyone used/seen the Doskosport Golfguard hard case? It's listed as $30 from Academy sports (the original one, not the Deluxe), which is extremely cheap. I could get 5 of these before warranting the use of the SKB.

What are the serious drawbacks to this $30 case?

That's what I have. Works pretty well for me. Although I should mention it's the second one. The first one was broken by baggage handlers (no equipment lost, fortunately) on my first trip... USAir gave me $70 in travel vouchers as compensation , upon which I went right out and bought another $30 replacement bag. That one has survived a few trips over the past 4 years, and is still going strong.

[DJ Apostrophe]

I had the Golf Guard for one flight... From Boston to Sacramento... (quite literally), I bought it before I went to the airport, transferred all the stuff from my cloth bag with a hole in it to the golf guard, squished the cloth bag down and packed it into the golf guard with all of my other stuff (just in case)...

When I got to Sacramento, two of the three hinges had been snapped off and most of my stuff was hanging out the bottom of the bag. I didn't lose anything... except the cloth bag...

so I had to buy another new bag at the venue so I could get my stuff home. I was rather broke at the time, so I bought the cheapest bag I could from ELI... that bag (after several NACs and last year's summer nationals), is still in great shape, save for the one useless buckle on the top that got lost somewhere along the way (but its useless, so who cares).

Don't buy the golf guard... if you're going to spend the money on something, spend some money and get something good (this has sense become my philosophy... and sometimes I feel like my cheap ELI bag is mocking me by holding up rather well).

Oh... and the Golf Guard didn't fit in the trunk of my car either (2000 Pontiac Grand Am, for reference).
-w

[Greybeard]

I just saw the datrek Blue Whale. Anyone familiar with that?

[EpeeBunney]

If your after a really cheap hard case the Contico Travel case from Wal-mart (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=2476193) has lasted well, but the latches are a little bit fragile. Fits on the back seat of my car, with a little bit of pushing. Its a saxo so its very small car, by American standards!

[Capt. Slo-mo]

I Googled this (because I didn't know what they look like) and found this on E-Bay.

That's the old model with the small, look-at-them-askance-and-they-fall-off latches.


Other than that, the size and shape is pretty much the same.

[Ordway]

I have Triplette's hardshell case (which I think is their slightly modded version of the SKB case); it's a lot sturdier than any of the golf cases that I found in sports stores where I lived, and it has foam padding to put your mask in (not sure if the plain golf version has that). Anyway, I love it. It's a real tank, in a good way. I've had mine for about 6-7 years, flying regularly with it.

[rac]

We bought the best hardshell golf case from a pro shop. It is wonderful with one basic flaw: It is a toss-up whether someone will be able to sit in the back seat, because the majority of the time it is simply too big to fit in a trunk. Oh well the best laid plans.....

On the plus side: it really is heavy duty and doubles as cheap seating in a pinch

rac

[wbowman]

I concur on the Golf Guards, although you do see a lot of people using them. I went through three of them. The last time, the airline tore a wheel off on the way to Summer Nationals, and getting it through the airport was a real pain.
I then got a more expensive one (made by Bag Boy) just to get back home. That's lasted pretty well, but it's had various pieces of external hardware knocked off, and it's bigger than the Golf Guard, and hence harder to fit into a car.
I have now switched to an Uhlmann Jumbo rollbag, which is more compact and so far has stood up to air travel pretty well. Can't get quite as much stuff into it, though.

[Inquartata]

Miser what I am, I just got one of these, from...I think it was Wal Mart...maybe K-Mart or Target?

http://www.golftravelbags.com/Cargo-Golf-Golf-Guard.pro

It was about $50 and though it's beginning to warp a bit now and though I have to make sure the hinge pins aren't creeping out it's lasted me about 8 years and I'm still using it. I run a nylon-webbing strap abound the middle through the handle and cinch it tight, and lock it with TSA-approved padlocks. It's never popped open, never lost a wheel or a hinge.

It fits in the trunk of my car ( Sonata )---barely. Fits easily in the trunk of a Malibu, not so much into most compact car trunks, but it will lay across the back seat of most cars or stand up on the floor of the back seat small end down.